WIN OR GO HOME:…”and in the end, Red Wings Henrik Zetterberg awakened from his Playoff slumber, only to find that the Ducks Corey Perry remained fast, fast asleep.” That pretty much describes the fairy tale ending to Detroit’s 7-game series win (although your humble SCE chose the Wings to pull off the upset, you may recall). Zetterberg erupted for a pair of goals in Game-6–including the game winner in OT…then followed that up with a marker less than 2-minutes into Game-7. Perry on the other hand, failed to score goal in the series despite ranking 7th overall in the NHL in SOG in the Opening Round with 24.

Meanwhile, the hungry Maple Leafs will try to accomplish something tonight that the franchise has not done in 71 years…win a series after trailing 3-games-to-1. The ONLY time Toronto turned the trick was in 1942 when they shocked the Red Wings during the Stanley Cup Finals. And for you History buffs: The Maple Leafs are (12-9) all-time in Game 7s while the Bruins are ( 12-11).

Also, will Lady Luck play a rool in tonight’s outcome in Boston? Because The Bruins could not fly back to yesterday because of a “malfunction” on the plane. So, they did not get out of Toronto until today. Curious how that “malfunction” occured in Toronto…eh?

And that brings us to our other Game-7 set for this evening–Rangers at Washington. Now, I think we all knew it was going to be a hard-fought series, but did any of you think it would be this low scoring? Admittedly, I thought the Caps had hit their offensive stride heading into this series…but wouldn’t you know it…a 1-0 NY victory in Game-6 continues an almost unbelievable Playoff trend–dating back some time–between these two teams. Check this out: 11 of the last 12 playoff games between the Capitals and Rangers have been decided by ONE goal – including the last five!

Now, that being said, I still like the Caps to take this series when you consider that this will be the third straight time Braden Holtby will start a Game 7 in a series ( so, he’s been there and done that) , he has won 5-straight Playoff games at home v. New York, and Holtby sports a stingy (0.97 GAA and .962 save percentage) in 6 lifetime Playoff games v. the NY at “the Phone Booth!”. Furthermore, the Rangers are winless in 5 tries on the road in Game 7’s in franchise history.

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GM of the Year?

The NHL) has announced their three finalists for honor and they are Anaheim’s Bob Murray, Pittsburgh’s Ray Shero and Montreal’s Marc Bergevin. If you are curious, voting was conducted among the 30 club General Managers along with a panel of NHL executives, print and broadcast media. The winner will be announced during the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. My early line favorite would be: BERGEVIN.

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Selanne Watch is Officially “ON”!

With the Ducks First Round departure comes the inevitable–will Teemu Selanne return for one more season? Now you might have thought the 42-year old “Finnish Flash” had given this some thought prior to Game-7…but his post-game response left his legion of fans in a familiar position:

“This isn’t the time where I really want to think about it too much. Obviously, it’s a big decision again. I just take some time off and clear my head and think about what’s the next step. I don’t really have to play but this has been so much fun. I just have to decide when is the time.”

Having had the privilege of calling Teemu’s first ever goal in a Ducks uniform–and many, many more after that…and getting to know the man personally…all I can say is…Teemu, take all the time you need. Because I, for one, could easily wait an extra year before you are forever enshrined in the Hall of Fame!